Michigan coach John Beilein says Zak Irvin will be out for Friday's season opener while Spike Albrecht will play spot minutes.

Kyle Bogenschutz

11/12/2015

Michigan coach John Beilein says Zak Irvin will be out for Friday's season opener while Spike Albrecht will play spot minutes.

While football season enters it's most important four weeks of the year, basketball is underway in Ann Arbor in 24 hours as John Beilein and Michigan tip-off the 2015-16 season with a home tilt against Northern Michigan.

Eager to bounce back following a disappointing and injury ridden slate just a year ago, the Wolverines will enter Friday's home opener at Crisler Center a little shorthanded.

Junior wing Zak Irvin will be sidelined, still recovering from back surgery this fall, while senior point guard Spike Albrecht can expect a diminished role for the time being as he returns following hip surgery in the off-season.

"Don't expect Zak Irivn to play this weekend at all," Beilein said Thursday. "He is still getting in shape, he's healthy but he's not in game shape right now so we think we can do more with him off the court than pushing him in there right now.

"That is also day to day, that could change but we're planning to play without him."

On Albrecht, who played 20 minutes for Michigan in last Friday's exhibition win over Le Moyne, the situation has two factors at play.

"Both conditioning and the fact that just his movement right now is not as fluid as it's been," Beilein said. "We all know he's never been the quickest athlete but he's just still laboring in some areas to regain his flexibility, his lateral ability, all of those things."

"He'll be in there doing his best, playing spot minutes and we'll try to build him up the best that we can," added Beilein.

Other injures of note heading into Friday's game, Aubrey Dawkins and D.J. Wilson suffered minor ankle injuries last week, Beilein noting he'll know more about their status following Thursday's practice.

With a handful of injuries the starting five remains in flux and a mystery -- at least for the public -- as of now.

In the exhibition win over Le Moyne, Michigan rolled out Derrick Walton Jr., Caris LeVert, Aubrey Dawkins, Kameron Chatman and Mark Donnal to start, though Beilein said that is subject to change.